Category Archives: Biology

Biology, Features

The Social Life of Plants

By Kar Yern Chin ’18

When Dr. Grace Augustine from James Cameron’s Avatar explains that trees on the planet Pandora are sharing information with each other, using roots like natural fiber-optic cables, she is not far from reality. In 2010, a year after the science fiction movie was released, a review by ecologists Dr. Heil Martin and Richard Karban re-defined the common understanding of plants, disproving the misconception that they are uncommunicative beings. Continue reading The Social Life of Plants →

Biology, Research

Plants in Action: Joan Edwards on Rapid Plant Behaviors

 By Laurel Hamers ’14

 

JoanEdwardsWilliams College Professor of Biology Joan Edwards oozes excitement about plants, able to turn a subject that most associate with endless Latin names and obscure botanical terminology into a fascinating examination of the unique characteristics (personalities, almost) of different plant species and the unexpected ways in which they adapt to their environment. Her research focuses on the mechanisms by which plants increase their reproductive success through adaptations for pollination and seed dispersal. In particular, she is interested in what she describes as “ultra-fast plant movement.” Edwards acknowledges the seemingly contradictory nature of the terminology. “You never think of plants as doing anything fast,” she says, “but they do—and they can do things extraordinarily fast.”

Continue reading Plants in Action: Joan Edwards on Rapid Plant Behaviors →

Biology, Features

The iPOP: How One Geneticist is Personalizing DNA Research

By Meagan Goldman ’16

Imagine a world where everyone knows what diseases they are at risk of developing and can take steps to prevent them – or, if prevention fails, live in fear of the future. Although this world may sound a lot like the science fiction movie Gattaca, it is rapidly becoming reality as some geneticists focus their research on personal medicine.

Continue reading The iPOP: How One Geneticist is Personalizing DNA Research →